Wool-washing machine.



No. 650,727. Patented May 29, |900. W. McNAUGHT.

WOOL WASHING MACHINE.

(Application med Aug. 9, 189.7.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 650,727. Patented May 29, |900. W. McNAUGHT.

WUDL WASHING MACHNE.

(Application filed Aug. 9, 1897.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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No. 650,727. Patented May 29, |900. W. MGNAUGHT.

WOOL WASHING MACHINE.

(Application Bled Aug. 9, 18,97.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

No. 650,727. Patented 'May 29, |900.

' W. MGNAUGHT.

WOOL WASHING VIWAGI'HNE.

(Application led Aug. 9, 1897.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

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y' .61 w 2 Z' Nrrnn STATESL witiyiAM McNAUGi-i'r, orRoci-IDALE, ENGL-ANB.

WooL-WAsl-lme MAcHlN.'

srncfrrcnrron arming part lof Letters' Patent No. 650,?27', date tray 29, 19de.

Application filed August 9i 1897iV To @ZZ whom it may concern.- Y

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MGNAUGHT,

to letters of reference marked thereon, which' form a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to machines for scouring and washing wool and other fibrous materials, and has for its object certain improvements in the construction of the washing-trough and in the mechanism for actuating the propelling and immersing rake, as will be described hereinafter and as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ber scouring or washing machine constructed in accordance with my invention and provided with an immersin g or propelling rake of wellknown construction, a portion of the side walls of the tank being-broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of Fig. 1, the mechanism for propelling the rake and the supportingstandards for saidmechanism being removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine with the improved form of immersing and propelling rake, a portion of the side walls of the tank being broken away, as well as the feed and delivery aprons.` Fig. l is a top plan view of Fig. 3, the rake, its propelling mechanism, and the supporting-standards for the latter. being removed. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section of the tank shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the rake and part of its propelling mechanism being removed. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are detail side, end, and top plan views, respectively, .of a portion of the improved immersing and propelling rake. Fig. 9 is alongitndinal vertical section of the feedend portion of theY machine drawn to an e11- larged scale and showing the rake-operating mechanism. Fig. 10 is alike transverse section'looking toward said feed end of the maseriai No. 647,577. (No mode.)

chine.- Fig. 11 is a detail sectional View of the' tank looking toward the feed end and showing the perforated distributing plate through which the` scouring or washing liquid is fed to said tank; and Figs. 12 to 20 are cross-sectional views' of variously-modified scouring or washin g tanks, the settling-chamber being omitted from each of them.

One of the objects of this invention is to obviate the removal of the false bottom and yet aord -proper means whereby the trough' or tank can be thoroughly or eectu'ally cleansed. This Iacconiplish by so constructing the tank-bottom that the sedimentary matter will be directed to a' line or lin'es of lowest level extending the full length of the tank, from which the sedimentary matter can be readily removed, and by so constructing the tank or trough that free access may be' had to such line or lines of lowest level, means being also provided for washing or iiushing the sediment from the tank-bottom.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a tank a, having its bottom u. inclined from one side to the other to form a collecting gutter or channel a2 along the right side of said tank at the lowest point thereof, while the washing-trough proper, b, is narrower than the said tank, so as to leave a space Z211 between the inner vertical wall h4 of said trough and the right-hand outer wall ot the tank o., whereby ready access is had to the collecting gutter or channel a2 for the purpose of removing the sedimentary matter, a normally-closed discharge-opening C521 being provided in said gutter about midway of its length. The inner wall b4 of the washingtrongh b is or may be perforated. Of course the space bu may be on the left side of the tank, Fig. 16, or there may be such a space bn and Z712 on each side of said tank, Fig. 14, according as a wide or narrow tank is used, or said space or spaces may be omitted altogether, as shown in Figs. 15, 17, and 20.

For the purpose of washing or flushing off the sedimentary matter that may collect on the inclined bottom o. of the tank I arrange a perforated pipe t', extending along the highest point of said bottoinbthrough which water is forced for the purposes stated.

The object referred to may be attained in many diiferent ways. For instance, as shown in Fig. 12, the bottom ct may be constructed IOO to converge from opposite sides of the tank to the center, with the space b on the left side, or the trough b may be so arranged as to form such a space on opposite sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 13 at b and 1112,01 said space or spaces Z111 and b12 may be omitted, Fig. 15. The tank-bottom may also be made to diverge from a higher central point to a lower point on opposite sides, as shown at a, Fig. 18, or said bottom may be made concave, as shown at cl3, Figs. 19 and 20, and the tank provided with an open space on one or both sides of the washing-trou gh proper, l), or said space or spaces may be omitted. Inail of these constructions there is a flushing-pipe z' at the highest point or points of the tank-bottom for the purposes above set forth.

I am of course aware that it is not broadly new to provide a vessel or tank with a bottom constructed as described; but I believe I am the first to apply this construction to a machine for scouring and washing fibrous materials and provide suitable means for iiushing the bottom, together with means for gaining access thereto, without removing the false bottom usually provided.

The machine is provided, as usual, with an endless feed lattice or apron tl at one end and a like delivery lattice or apron d' at the opposite end, in rear of the usual squeeze-rolls e and e, and the tank (l, with the usual delivery incline or chute Z13.

It has before my invention been the general practice in scouring and washing fibrous materials to pump, lift, or otherwise transfer the liquid squeezed out of the fibrous material at the delivery end of the trough immediately back thereto. As is well known, this liquid holds considerable quantities of impurities in suspension, which are thus returned to the washing-trough, so that theliquid therein becomes too foul for use in a c omparatively-short time. A further object of my invention is to avoid this disadvantage by providing a settling tank or chamber wherein this liquid is allowed to stand and settle before it is returned to the trough. To this end there is an open settling tank or chamber c, arranged along one side of the tank a, Figs. 2, 4, and 5, the bottom c' of which tank or chamber is also inclined from the side wall of the tank a or inner wall of the settling-chamber to the outer wall thereof to form along the latter wall a collecting gutter or channel czfor the collection of sedimentary matter, which can be removed through a normally-closed purging-opening c21 about midway of the length of said gutter or channel c', Figs. 2, 4, and 5. From the settling-chamber leads a conduit e3, that is connected with a collecting-trough ebeneath the squeeze-rolls e e', Figs. 1, 3, and 4. At 'the opposite end the settling-chamber'c is connected with a centrifugal pu mpj, that forces the liquid back to the washing-trough Z1 above its perforated bottom b'. In order that this returned liquid may be uniformlydistributed over the width of said washing-trough, I provide the washing-tank a at its feed end with a receivingchamber j, to which the centrifugal pump j is connected through a pipej, that has a suitable stop-cocky'5 for regulating the quantity of liquid passing through said pipe, or the said delivery-pipe j* of the pump j may be connected with a vessel f, into which steam is blown through pipe f for the purpose of heating the liquid before it reaches the chamberj, as shown in Fig. 3. This chamber has its front wall j 17 partly inclined upwardly and rearwardly and partly vertical, the upper vertical portion ,7' 1G being provided with a line of perforations or openings jl, Figs. 9 and 11, on a line with the normal level of liquid in the trough, or substantially so.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a propelling-rake the general construction of which, except the immerser portion, is well known, said immersin g portion being preferably constructed as hereinafter described.

In Figs. 3, G, 7, and 8 I have shown a propelling and immersing rake II, which is composed of Itwo longitudinal tubular girths h 7L, to which is secured aboX-like framing h", the bottom his of which is of zigzag form in 1ongitudinal section and provided at the points where the sides of the angles join each other and the sides of the framing with prongs or teeth hs, the bottom h1 being perforated to admit of the free passage of liquid therethrough, as shown in Fig. 8 on the left-hand side, in which a portion only of the bottom is shown as perforated.

The entire rake may be constructed as described or the box-like framing may be arranged in sections, as shown on the righthand end of Fig. 3, and it is obvious that as the rake moves through the trough b toward the delivery end the fibrous material will be moved in the same direction below the surface of the liquid, as the boxes prevent it from rising and iioating, a portion of such material being swept over the delivery end b2 by the teeth at the forward end of the rake, which is devoid of the box-like framing at its said delivery end, as shown in Fig. As usual, the rake after completing its forward movement rises sufficiently to bringits teeth clear of the level of the liquid in the trough ZJ, then moves backward, and finally downward into the liquid of the trough, whereby substantially the whole of the material therein, as well as the material fed thereto, is at once immersed to be dragged a step forward, proportionate to the sweep of the rake, and so on,

It is obvious that with a rake constructed as described the scouring or washing of the fibrous material is not only expedited, but is more uniform and more thorough than would be the case with a rake of usual-construction.

On one of the side walls of the tank a and on the inner wall b4 of the washing-trough l) are secured standards S S and S S', provided at their upper ends with bearings for cross- IIO shafts s and s', respectively. To each of said cross-shafts are secured two levers L M and L' M', respectively, the levers L and L being three-armed levers and the levers M and M' two-armed levers, Figs. 5, 9, and 10. The arms Z and m of the said levers carry each a weight ZtX, said weights counterbalancingthe weight of the rake H, or substantially so, as usual, and the arms Z' and m' are connected b v rods h2 with cross-bars Zt" below the tubular girths Zt of said rake H, Fig. 10,while the arms Z2 of the three-armed levers L L' are connected together by a rod h". of the suspension-rods h2 are screw-threaded and screw into aforked coupling h5, Fig. IO, so that the amplitude of the rising-and-falling movements of the rake I-I can be regulated within certain limits by lengthening or shortening the connection between the said rake and the lever-arms.

It is obvious that when one of the shafts s or s' is rocked or oscillated the other will likewise be rocked or oscillated, through the connecting-rod h,to impart to the rake I-I the requiredrising-and-falling motion. Thismovement of the rake and the required to-and-fro motion or sweep is imparted to said rake through the following mechanism, supported from the standards S S at the feed end of the machine: There is a rod 7a3, one end of which is pivoted to the arm Z' of lever L, the other end of said rod 7c3 being pivoted to a lever 7c', that is fulcrumed at 702 to an arm projecting rearwardly from one of the standards S. The lever 7c' carries near its left end a roller Zag, that rides on a cam Za', secured to a short shaft k, Fig. 10. On theinner end of shaft 7o is a crank Zc, whose crank-pin carries a roller that works in the longitudinal slot of a lever Z3,fulcrumed at Z4, and to the lower end of said lever Z3 is pivoted one end of a connecting-rod Z6, whose opposite end is pivoted to a cross-bar hsecured to the longitudinal girths ZL of the rake H, Figs.9 and lO. The short shaft Zt carries at its outer end atoothed wheel k, in gear with a pinion k6 on the drivingshaft 72.10, that carries, as usual, a fast and a loose belt-pulley 757 and Z017. The arrangement of the described mechanism is such that the crank-pin on crank kf of shaft 7c is moving through the lower half of its circle during the movement of the rake through and toward the delivery end of the washingtrough b-that is to say, when the rake is in its lowermost position and said crank-pin moves through the upper half of its circle during the backward vmovement of the rake or when the rake is lifted with its teeth clear of the liquid in said trough.

In the position of the rake-operating mechanism, Fig. 9, the lever Z3, under the action of the crank h5, is slowly moving the rake I-I toward the delivery end until said crank is about to travel from its lower to its upper half-circle, at which time the cam 7a4, acting on rod 7a3, moves the arni of lever L upward, thereby revolving shaft S toward the right,

The upper end Y which movement is communicated to lever M on said shaft, and through connecting-rod h6 to lever L', shaft S', and lever M thereon, whereby the rake H is lifted out of the liquid in trough b. As said crank revolves through the upper half of its circle and in the upper portion of the slotin lever Z2 the rake will be moved backward at an increased speed and then downward back into the liquid in the trough b, as will be readily understood. The path described by the rake-teeth points is shown at nc, Fig. 9.

The rods h6, 7c3, and ZGare, like the suspension-rods h2, screw-threaded at one end and screw into forked couplings for purposes of adjustment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, isil. In a liber scouring and washing machine, a tank provided with an inclined bottom adapted to direct liquid and sedimentary matter to a channel or channels extending from end to end of the tank at the lowest point thereof, means for draining such channel or channels and appliances for flushing the tankbottom, in combination with a perforated false bottom above said flushing appliances, for the purpose set forth.

2. In afiberscouring and washing machine, a tank provided with an inclined bottom adapted to direct liquid and sedimentary matter to a channel or channels extending from end to end of the tank at the lowest point thereof, means for draining such channel or channels, and appliances for iiushing the tank` bottom,in combination with a washing-trou gh in, but narrower than, said tank, said washing-trough being arranged above the flushing appliances, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a ber scouring and washing machine, the combination with the washing tank and trough, and the squeezing-rolls, of a settlingchamber alongside of said trough, a collecting-trough beneath said rolls connected with the settling-chamber, means for purging the settling-chamber of sedimentary matter and means for returning the liquid from said chamber to the washing-trough, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a ber scouring and washin g machine, the combination with the washing tank and trough and the squeezing-rolls, of an open settling-chamber alongside of said tank, said chamber provided with an inclined bottom c' to form a channel c2 along the outer wall of such chamber, means for draining the same, a collecting-trough beneath the squeeze-rolls connected with said chamber at oneend, and means for taking the liquid from the opposite end of the chamber and returning such liquid to the washing-trough, for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination with the tank provided at its feed end with a receivingchamber having in its inclined front wall a row of openings, and the washing and scouring trough having IOO its perforated bottom below said row of openyings; of the settling-chamber c and a pump connected with said chamber and with the receiving-chamber of the tank, for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination with the tank und Washing-trough, and a propelling and immersig rake, of the shafts 3 s', each carrying two Weighted levers L M and L' M respectively, from which said rake is suspended, a. rigid connection between the levers L and L', the leverh connected with lever L, the @am 7a4 

